Preschool Grad

Remember the little newborn from this post? Well, he just graduated his first year of preschool. [Insert heavy crying emoji here] He's grown up so much both in size and maturity. The little toddler in the top left of the collage, is now my big, strong, curious, silly, smart & extraordinary boy (although he's always been extraordinary). 

He has gone from a shy and timid boy to still a shy but brave boy. I cannot sing enough praises for his sweet teacher, Mrs. Bernhardt. She knew the magnitude of what a big deal it was for me to send my firstborn into her hands. The thing I love about her and TPCA is that they do not treat this like a day care. We don't need a day care. We prayed for a place that would help develop and challenge his academic skills, encourage him to socialize with his peers and help nurture his love for Jesus. The staff at TPCA takes a loving approach to help raising our babies and prayerfully considers their little hearts on a daily basis. They really got to know our little Briggs. Unfortunately for us, after 26 years, Mrs. Bernhardt will retire after this year but she has such a special place in our heart, that we will continue to stay in touch with her. 

Both my babies will be headed back to TPCA in the fall. I pray that they continue to grow in knowledge but most importantly learn to love Jesus more and more every day. 

Pops, Yaya, Papa, Mommy, Sister & Daddy (taking photo) were all there for his graduation ceremony :)

Papa with Briggy's #1 fan

He came out walking to the commencement song...I balled

So happy to see all of his family there

The best teacher with the shy guy

He won the award "Love for reading" :)

Briggy and his fan club. Nana's got a cheering section in heaven for him too

Our proud family

Sis stole his graduation treat. He's improved on his sharing too :)

Half Birthday Boating

Kerigan is one and a half! This crazy, I mean crazy, intelligent, hilarious, expressive, cuddly, dramatic, creative, observant, loving little doll baby has graced us with her presence for 18 months! Her personality kills me. She is fun-loving, curious & such a social little bug who doesn't know a stranger-but that doesn't mean she's willing to leave mommy to hang out with you yet. ;-)

For her half birthday, we celebrated by kicking off boating season for the summer! My sister's in-laws are always so gracious and welcoming for us to join them at their lake house. I don't think my kids know that Tim and Bev are actually just Kinsie's grandparents because they sure treat my kids like one of their own. We love Aunt Bev-o and Papa Tim! 

Here are some snapshots of memories made this weekend:

Bottom right: Got to fit in some "Ring around the Rosie"

Love this day so much. We treasure our time with our cousin, too!

The three sweet peas.

Captain Briggy was so proud!

And....he's done.

The sweetest cousins

Video evidence of Captain Briggs driving the boat all by himself <3

Happy half birthday to our bubbly, brilliant & free-spirited girl. You make this world a more beautiful place!

Happy Salvation! 2015

Happy Easter! We have been celebrating the Risen King all weekend. The kids really got into the spirit with hunting eggs, meeting the Easter bunny and learning about Jesus. After church on Sunday, Briggy kept yelling, "Jesus  is Alive!" 

The kids took part in three egg hunts! One in our neighborhood, one at our house after church and one at Yaya and Papa's Easter evening. For them, it was more about the hunt than the prizes inside. On the outside of the eggs, we wrote little messages about Jesus or easy Bible versus Briggs could repeat. 

I truly love Easter. It's the time to celebrate the most wonderful event that ever took place. Teaching our kids the true meaning of Easter and God's love for them is the priority for us. We always want them to have fun with the childhood traditions but will always emphasize the true meaning and take every opportunity to teach about Christ's love. Spring represents Easter and new life. And spring has sprung! So thankful for grace and renewal. We pray that you all took time to pray and reflect on the magnitude of this day. 

One of my favorite writers said about Easter, "Happy Salvation! Today represents the greatest proof of His radical love for you. His love is victorious; for you have been bought at the highest price, you are loved & you are SAVED!

So on this Easter Sunday, Happy Salvation! This is how we celebrated:

The kids aren't too sure about the bunny. Briggy's face reminds me of what I used to do whenever I would meet characters as a child. Just ask my parents about my first visit to Chuck E Cheese. ;-)

The goodies from the Easter Bunny.

Briggs & Kerigan following the trail the Easter Bunny left them. He is so stinkin' sweet to her! And she is SO close to walking, she can taste it! 

Easter fun with Yaya and Papa! (And Easter ears from the dollar section at Target-my fave!)

A video that rounds up the hunts & other Easter celebrations. 

I am thankful for the soul-stirring, life-changing, faith-building year it's been. Humbled by the cross and His grace. We hope you've had the happiest of Easters celebrating the Resurrection!

He lives!

winter + spring 2015 video

Winter and spring has been a very busy time for the Robinson clan. These kids have been the sweetest during mom and dad's crazy working hours. Thankfully, they are so loved by not only our family, but our "like family" who have helped watch our precious ones during these busy months. I love that B + K have each other and that they are truly becoming best friends.

We can't wait for the weather to start warming up, but we are making the most of these chilly months with lots of zoo days, outdoor play, "small world" reenactments, dance parties & play dates. The best part about these videos we make, is that Briggs watches them about 5x in a row. As he's watching, he just sits there, smiles & laughs. :) So here's another, Briggy boy. Enjoy!

Kerigan's First Steps

At 16 months old, we finally have a baby girl walker! Yay Ker! We are so proud of you little bear!

My Valentines 2015

Happy Valentine's Day from our family to yours!

Last year, we took the kids to Chicago for Valentine's weekend. We had a date at Rainforest Cafe. This year, we are staying home with a crab leg dinner. It's not quite Chicago, but it's perfect for us right now.

We hope you take this day to enjoy all your loves. Cherish them. Invest in them. Listen to each other. And most of all love them for who they are right now. Because love, is the greatest of all things.

A Paw Patrol Birthday

Cake made by Confectioneiress Bakery

Photo credit: Confectioneiress instagram

If you have a child, a niece, nephew, neighbor, etc. between the ages of 2-6, you know Paw Patrol. It is a really sweet show on Nick Jr. with six little pups that help save and serve the town. Briggs's favorite pup, Rubble, is the yellow construction pup. Are you surprised? 

For his third birthday, that's the theme he wanted. We lucked out, because he had just had a Paw Patrol Christmas. I barely had to buy anything because we just used the toys and puzzles he already had. I framed most of the puzzles and displayed them around the kitchen to give them a nicer look. But besides that, we went to Party City to get streamers, balloons, plates, napkins and cups that represented the six colors of the pups. Super easy and inexpensive theme for the sweet birthday boy!

Here are his invites. He loved that I included his face with his favorites. 

At the dessert table, we served, bone cookies, gold fish, "pup" corn, puppy chow & cake!

Here are some food & decor details from the party. A lot of the banners & poms, I already had. Fruit snacks were the party favors for the kids of all ages. 

The happiest birthday boy in his new Paw Patrol chair. 

The only thing I had to order ahead of time, was his personalized Paw Patrol "3" birthday shirt. I ordered it from EmbroiDelisDesigns on etsy. She had about a 3 week turn around. Super easy to work with. He loved his shirt so much, he asked to wear to preschool for the next week :) 

I love this collage above because it makes my heart so happy to see my babies so sweet to their friends. 

Top left: Briggy is ready to pass out cake to his friends.

Top Middle: After every present he opened, he went to hug his friend who got him that particular gift...every present.  

Top right: Briggy bouncin' with his buddies. This party was less about party details and more about fun for a 3 year-old! We had a mini bounce house in the basement, party hats, masks, balloons and more. 

Bottom middle: Kerigan was so concerned about her girlfriends sitting on the chair with her. Those three girls are going to have so much fun together for many, many years. Love them and their mamas!

Briggy had the best 3rd birthday anyone could ask for! Thank you to all our friends and family for helping make his day so wonderful. He's a very special kid and we're so blessed to be his mommy and daddy. 

Happy Birthday, Sweet Boy!